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Thursday, May 21, 2009

Throw a Bead Soup Party!

Okay, I'm a little more than envious of those who are planning to go to Bead & Button this year for the shopping, classes and did I mention the bead shopping? But I'm not planning on sitting around wishing I was there, nope. I'm gathering together a few beading buddies for a Bead Soup party. You might want to throw a little beady soiree of your own. Here are the basics:

How to Throw a Bead Soup Party

1. Invite a few of your Beady Friends.

2. Each person needs to bring a strand of beads to share. (You can suggest a color scheme.)

All guest will also need to bring:focal beadspacer beadsclaspbeading wirecrimp beadscrimping pliers and wire cutters

3. When everyone arrives, dump the strands of beads into a large bowl. Divide the beads up randomly among your group.

4. String a memory necklace or bracelet using your bead soup.

*provide chocolate for best results!

Pictured above is a work in progress that I started at our last Bead Soup party. We went with a silver/grey/purple color scheme. You can use evite.com for simple online invitations. Don't have any beady friends? Invite a few gals over and teach them how to string!

Have any ideas for a bead party that you'd like to share? I'd love to hear them.

7 comments:

I bring out the MANY bead boards I have, cut stringing wire to about 12", place a piece of tape on one end, and 2 sterling headpins...place in a ziplock bag. Invite friends over for food and drinks. I lay out my beads and they get to string their own bracelet and/or earrings...I then finish the jewelry pieces for them and return the piece(s) to my friends. Bracelets $19.99, earrings $9.99....lay out only those beads that fit into that price category! SOOO much fun!! Hope that made sense! Thanks!

That's a cool idea! If I lived closer to you, I would have to crash it (hahaha)...You will have to post pictures of the results...

Other ideas? Maybe have a theme for the beads to bring (Spring, Christmas, etc), and people bring a string of beads that remind them of that holiday? You may end up with wackier results, but it could be fun...

Another thought (that would be messier, but still fun) would be to do something like the poly clay class you did on the Bead Cruise - I know it was a lot of fun to play with making the molds and using the molds to make the beads...And, since it's a fairly simple process, it's not overly involved for a friendly get-together...And, besides, while things are baking, you have nice chit-chatty downtime :o)

A bead party is always a good idea. Great post.I had a bead party recently and everyone one had to bring something for the food shelf along with their beads. The person who brought the most food got a $35 gift certificate to my website.

This is also a great time to have a bride/shower or graduation bead party theme.

Right now I'm working on bead kits for a bead/class party hosted by my daughter and her college friends. They buy the kits, I show them how to make a bracelet and all the proceeds go to our local animal shelter.

You know that I would come to that party...and I don't even like soup! (unless I am sick, and then only homemade chicken noodle with big fat noodles and loads of chicken)I will be with you in spirit, Heather! And I WILL be seeking out your beads at the supplier you mentioned....I am so excited to go to B&B...it is practically in my "backyard" so I have to be there to show a little Cheesehead hospitality!Enjoy the day!Erin

What a great idea, Heather! I am definitely going to put that into action this summer. I'm thinking on the deck by the pool!!

I wish you were going to B&B, too. I'm hoping to have time to cruise around and see some of my cyber friends, but I'm thinking we'll just be too busy to even leave the booth for potty breaks, at least that is my fervent hope!

I'm jealous too of those going to the show. Even worse, I live in a tiny town and there are no other beaders to get together with! My only hope would be to do something through the mail--a sort of round robin thing.